some HDRI's

[misterx]

The batch from the tunnel didn't work out due to a lack of bright data (I really did need the tripod after all) but I think I've got the hang of it now with properly exposed photos and the newer software. The photos show some differences due to variations in the settings... I'm still deciding what I want these things to look like.

HDRI = High Dynamic Range Imagery. Take multiple photos of a wide contrast scene, varying the exposure up and down to capture the full range of data available. Using special software, you combine the images, and use tone-mapping to convert the scene-wide contrast into "micro-contrast". This compresses the tonal range a bit, and enables details that would have been lost to come through.

Here's some images I made a couple years back to explain it...
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/hdr1.jpg (3 exposures)
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/hdr2.jpg (result)

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Comments

[neversremedy.livejournal.com]

Wow. The lighting from this method is surreal and best evidenced in the image of the house and the color photo of the tractor. For a moment, I had trouble telling if they were real photographs or highly detailed 3-D imaging models. ^_^

[misterx.livejournal.com]

They do look different, don't they. There are much better examples out there on the 'net than these. If you like the look of HDRI, you should search some out. Some of them are just amazing.

[neversremedy.livejournal.com]

My mom's a pro, too, and when I talked to her about HDRI, she showed me a few on her Flickr favorites page that knocked me over. :)

It's an amazing process. What software do you use to layer the tonal ranges?

[misterx.livejournal.com]

do you have a link to those?

I use Photomatix.

[neversremedy.livejournal.com]

They're mixed in at her Favorites page. :)

[misterx.livejournal.com]

For a moment I thought she had taken all those, and I was blown away. :) Some great shots in there.

[neversremedy.livejournal.com]

Nope, she's not able to take a lot of anything anymore being in a wheelchair. *sighs* She had to pass up a job in Africa taking stills for her friend's latest movie, too. The sound of her rolster (electric wheelchair) is likely to frighten the wildlife. Nevertheless, her architectural photos in Germany are stunning, and from her a different perspective than most photographers would view them (sitting down vs. standing up). Thankfully, she's getting back into photography and writing, which I sorely think she needed.

[misterx.livejournal.com]

any links to her work? (I know, i'm being a link whore)

[neversremedy.livejournal.com]

This is her Flickr site, which includes old work from the 80's and some of her newer work in Germany. I think there are family photos in there as well, but I'm not sure if they're viewable by the public.